Anti-Retroviral Therapy centre to have two more doctors soon

The health department is set to recruit two medical officers soon for smooth functioning of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) centre in civil hospital which was facing shortage of doctors for two months.

Hindustan Times had highlighted sufferings of HIV patients in these columns on December 27, 2013, as they were not able to get proper medical attention due to shortage of doctors.

Medical superintendent Dr Jagjit Singh Cheema said that Punjab AIDS Control Society ad agreed to appoint two more medical officers at the centre.

He said that advertisements for 'walk in interview', along with terms and conditions, would be released soon.

The ART centre has 2,274 HIV positive patients listed with it, who are regularly in touch with the centre for medicines and check-ups.

Sources said that as per guidelines of National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), there was requirement of at least three medical officers at the centre. But, the centre has been making do with only one medical officer for the past few months.

The centre looks after patients of four districts - Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur.The centre never had three doctors. People infected with HIV, are heavily dependant on life-saving anti-retroviral therapy and lately have been at the receiving end due to shortage of medicines.